Semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same

ABSTRACT

Provided are a semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the same. The method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprises, providing an active fin and a field insulating film including a first trench disposed on the active fin; forming a second trench through performing first etching of the field insulating film that is disposed on side walls and a lower portion of the first trench; forming a first region and a second region in the field insulating film through performing second etching of the field insulating film that is disposed on side walls and a lower portion of the second trench, the first region is disposed adjacent to the active fin and has a first thickness, and the second region is disposed spaced apart from the active fin as compared with the first region and has a second thickness that is thicker than the first thickness; and forming a gate structure on the active fin and the field insulating film.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 asa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/287,240, filed May27, 2014, which in turn claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 from KoreanPatent Application No. 10-2013-0061775, filed on May 30, 2013 in theKorean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of each of which isincorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method forfabricating the same.

Recently, semiconductor devices such as field effect transistors havebeen developed that can perform high-speed operations at low voltage,and processes of fabricating semiconductor devices have been developedthat exhibit improved integrity. The improved integrity of thesemiconductor devices may cause the occurrence of a short channel effectin a field effect transistor. In order to overcome this effect, finfield effect transistors (FinFET) have been developed which havechannels that are formed in a 3D spatial structure.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods for fabricatingsemiconductor devices that have improved operation characteristics.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will beset forth in part in the description which follows and in part willbecome apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following or may be learned from practice of theinvention.

In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method forfabricating a semiconductor device, comprising: providing an active finand a field insulating film including a first trench on the active fin;etching portions of the field insulating film that define side walls ofthe first trench to form a second trench; etching a lower portion of thesecond trench so that a first region of the field insulating film thatis disposed adjacent to the active fin has a first thickness, and asecond region of the field insulating film that is spaced apart from theactive fin as compared to the first region has a second thickness thatis thicker than the first thickness; and forming a gate structure on theactive fin and the field insulating film.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a methodfor fabricating a semiconductor device, comprising: providing first andsecond active fins; forming a field insulating film on the first andsecond active fins; forming first and second trenches in the fieldinsulating film above the respective first and second active fins;anisotropically etching portions of the field insulating film that areadjacent to the respective first and second active fins and are exposedby the respective first and second trenches to form a first region and asecond region in the field insulating film, the first region is disposedadjacent to the first and second active fins and has a first thickness,and the second region is disposed between the first and second activefins and has a second thickness that is thicker than the firstthickness; and forming a gate structure on the first and second activefins and the field insulating film.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided asemiconductor device comprising: first and second active fins thatproject from a substrate in a first direction; a field insulating filmon the substrate between the first and second active fins; a gatestructure on the field insulating film to surround at least parts of thefirst and second active fins; and a spacer disposed on at least one sideof the gate structure, wherein the field insulating film includes afirst region that is adjacent to the first and second active fins andhas a first thickness, and a second region that is spaced apart from thefirst and second active fins as compared with the first region and has asecond thickness that is thicker than the first thickness, and the gatestructure includes a gate insulating film extending in the firstdirection along side walls of the spacer.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided asemiconductor device comprising: first and second active fins thatproject from a substrate and extending along the substrate in a firstdirection; a field insulating film disposed between the first and secondactive fins; a gate structure disposed on the field insulating film andthe first and second active fins to extend in a second direction thatcrosses the first direction; and a source region and a drain regionformed at the first active fin adjacent to the gate structure, wherein athickness of the gate structure that is disposed adjacent to the firstand second active fins is larger than a thickness of the gate structurethat is disposed in a central region between the first and second activefins, and upper surfaces of the source region and the drain region areformed to be higher above a top surface of the substrate than a lowersurface of the gate structure.

Other details of the present invention are included in the detaileddescription and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a layout diagram illustrating a semiconductor device accordingto a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective cut-away view of a region A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view cut along line B-B in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view cut along line D-D in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view illustrating a field insulatingfilm of the semiconductor device illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view illustrating metal gates of thesemiconductor device illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are views explaining the effects of a semiconductor deviceaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a semiconductor device according to asecond embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a layout diagram illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a partial perspective view illustrating a metal gate of thesemiconductor device illustrated in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to a seventh embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating a semiconductor deviceaccording to an eighth embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 17 to 22 are views of intermediate steps explaining a method forfabricating a semiconductor device according to embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 23 is a block diagram of an electronic system including asemiconductor device according to some embodiments of the presentinvention; and

FIGS. 24 and 25 are views of exemplary semiconductor systems to whichthe semiconductor devices according to some embodiments of the presentinvention can be applied.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods ofaccomplishing the same may be understood more readily by reference tothe following detailed description of example embodiments and theaccompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodiedin many different forms and should not be construed as being limited tothe embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are providedso that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fullyconvey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art, and thepresent invention will only be defined by the appended claims. In thedrawings, the thickness of layers and regions are exaggerated forclarity.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “on” or “connected to” another element or layer, it can bedirectly on or connected to the other element or layer or interveningelements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element isreferred to as being “directly on” or “directly connected to” anotherelement or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present.Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,”“upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description todescribe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) orfeature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in thefigures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” otherelements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elementsor features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both anorientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented(rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relativedescriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, these elements should notbe limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish oneelement from another element. Thus, for example, a first element or afirst component discussed below could be termed a second element or asecond component without departing from the teachings of the presentinvention.

The present invention is described below with reference to perspectiveviews, cross-sectional views, and plan views, in which exampleembodiments of the invention are shown. It will be appreciated thatthese views may be modified according to manufacturing techniques and/orallowances. Thus, regions shown in the drawings are illustrated inschematic form and the shapes of the regions are presented simply by wayof illustration and not as a limitation.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. It is noted that the use of anyand all examples, or exemplary terms provided herein is intended merelyto better illuminate the invention and is not a limitation on the scopeof the invention unless otherwise specified.

Hereinafter, example embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a layout diagram illustrating a semiconductor device accordingto a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspectivecut-away view of a region A in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional viewtaken along line B-B in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional viewtaken along line D-D in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a partial perspective viewillustrating a field insulating film of the semiconductor deviceillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 6 is a partial perspective viewillustrating a metal gate of the semiconductor device illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, a semiconductor device 1 includes a pluralityof active fins F1 and F2, a field insulating film 110, and a pluralityof gate structures GS1 to GS4.

The plurality of active fins F1 and F2 may include a first active fin F1and a second active fin F2. Only two active fins F1 and F2 areillustrated in the drawings. However, the present invention is notlimited thereto. The number of active fins F1 and F2 may be much largerif needed.

The first and second active fins F1 and F2 may project from thesubstrate 100 in a first direction (e.g., the Z direction).Particularly, in this embodiment, the first and second active fins F1and F2 may be formed in a body with the substrate 100 as illustrated.Specifically, substrate 100 may comprise a semiconductor material, andthe first and second active fins F1 and F2 may be formed by etching thesubstrate 100. However, the present invention is not limited thereto,and the method for forming the first and second active fins F1 and F2may be changed without limit.

In the drawings, the cross-sectional shapes of the first and secondactive fins F1 and F2 are each rectangular for cross-sections takenalong the X direction, but the present invention is not limited to sucha shape. In some embodiments of the present invention, thecross-sectional shapes of the first and second active fins F1 and F2 maybe changed to a tapered shape in which the width (e.g., the length inthe X direction) of the first and second active fins F1 and F2 becomeswider as they go from an upper portion to a lower portion. Further, inother embodiments of the present invention, the cross-sectional shape ofthe first and second active fins F1 and F2 may be a chamfered shape.That is, one or more of the corner portions of the first and secondactive fins F1 and F2 may be rounded.

The first and second active fins F1 and F2 may be disposed to extend ina second direction (e.g., the Y direction). Since the first and secondactive fins F1 and F2 are formed long along the second direction (e.g.,the Y direction), they may include a long side that extends along thesecond direction (e.g., the Y direction) and a short side that is formedalong a third direction (e.g., the X direction). Even if the cornerportions of the first and second active fins F1 and F2 are rounded,those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains canstill discriminate between the long side and the short side.

In this embodiment, the first and second active fins F1 and F2 mayinclude a semiconductor material. Accordingly, the first and secondactive fins F1 and F2 may be used as channels in a transistor. That is,channels may be formed to be connected to each other along threesurfaces of the first and second active fins F1 and F2. However, thepresent invention is not limited thereto, and in some embodiments, thechannels of the transistor may be formed on two surfaces of the firstand second active fins F1 and F2 that face each other.

The field insulating film 110 may be disposed on the substrate 100.Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the field insulating film 110may be disposed between the first and second active fins F1 and F2. Thefield insulating film 110 may surround portions of the first and secondactive fins F1 and F2. Specifically, as illustrated, the fieldinsulating film 110 may surround lower parts of the first and secondactive fins F1 and F2.

In this embodiment, the field insulating film 110 may include a firstregion 110 a and a second region 110 b. Here, as illustrated, the firstregion 110 a of the field insulating film 110 may be defined as theportion(s) of the field insulating film 110 that are disposed adjacentto the first and second active fins F1 and F2, and the second region 110b of the field insulating film 110 may be defined as the portion of thefield insulating film 110 that is spaced apart from the first and secondactive fins F1 and F2 as compared to the first region 110 a.

In this embodiment, the thickness T1 of the first region 110 a in the Zdirection may be smaller than the thickness T2 of the second region 110b in the Z direction. That is, the thickness T2 of the field insulatingfilm 110 that is disposed in the intermediate region between the firstactive fin F1 and the second active fin F2 may be thicker than thethickness T1 of the field insulating film 110 that is disposed in theregions that are adjacent to the first and second active fins F1 and F2.

In this embodiment, at least part of an upper surface of the secondregion 110 b may be substantially flat. The upper surface of the secondregion 110 b may be substantially flat because etching may not beperformed with respect to the whole surface of the field insulating film11Q that is disposed between the first active fin F1 and the secondactive fin F2, but instead the etching may be locally performed onlywith respect to the first region 110 a of the field insulating film 110.A more detailed explanation of the etching of the field insulating film110 is provided herein.

The field insulating film 110 may be an oxide film, a nitride film, anoxynitride film, or a combination film thereof, but the presentinvention is not limited thereto.

The plurality of gate structures GS1 to GS4 may be disposed on the fieldinsulating film 100 to surround at least parts of the active fins F1 andF2. As illustrated, the plurality of gate structures GS1 to GS4 may bedisposed to extend in the second direction (e.g., the Y direction). Anisolation film 190 may be formed between the gate structures GS1 to GS4.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the gate structures GS1 toGS4 may be grouped into pairs. Further, a plurality of active bases,which are separated from each other by deep trench isolation (DTI)films, may be formed for the plurality of gate structures GS1 to GS4that are grouped into pairs. However, the present invention is notlimited to such a shape, but the shape of the plurality of gatestructures GS1 to GS4 may be changed without limit.

Each of the respective gate structures (e.g., GS1) may include aninterface film 120, a gate insulating film 130, and a metal gate (e.g.,MG1), which are sequentially laminated.

The interface film 120 serves to provide an improved interface betweenthe active fins F1 and F2 and the gate insulating film 130. Theinterface film 120 may include a low-k material having a permittivity of9 or less, for example, a silicon oxide film (k is about 4) or a siliconoxynitride film (k is about 4 to 8 depending on the content of oxygenatoms and nitrogen atoms). Further, the interface film 120 may be madeof silicate, or may be made of a combination of the films as exemplifiedabove.

The gate insulating film 130 that is disposed on the interface film 120may be made of, for example, a high-k material. In some embodiments ofthe present invention, the gate insulating film 130 may be made of, forexample, a material, such as HfO2, Al2O3, ZrO2, or TaO2, but the presentinvention is not limited thereto.

The gate insulating film 130 may extend in the first direction (e.g.,the Z direction) along side walls of a spacer 165 that is disposed onboth sides of each of the gate structures (e.g., GS1). In thisembodiment, the gate insulating film 130 is formed through a replacementprocess (or a gate last process). However, the present invention is notlimited thereto, and hence the shape of the gate insulating film 13Q maydiffer in other embodiments.

The spacer 165 may include at least one of a nitride film and anoxynitride film. The spacer 165 may be formed on the side walls of eachgate structure (e.g., GS1). FIG. 3 illustrates that the spacer 165 has acurved side surface, but the present invention is not limited thereto.The shape of the spacer 165 may be changed from the shape depicted inFIG. 3 without limit. For example, in some embodiments of the presentinvention, the shape of the spacer 165 may be changed to an “I” shape oran “L” shape.

The metal gate MG1 may include work function metal WM and gate metal GM.The work function metal WM may serve to adjust the work function, andthe gate metal GM may serve to fill a space formed by the work functionmetal WM. The work function metal WM may have a single-film structurecomposed of metal or a multi-film structure composed of a metal nitridefilm and metal. The metal that forms the work function metal WM may be,for example, Al, W, Ti, or a combination thereof, and the metal nitridefilm may be TiN, TaN, or a combination thereof, but the presentinvention is not limited thereto. The work function metal WM may bedisposed to extend in the first direction (e.g., the Z direction) alongthe side walls of the spacer 165 that are disposed on both sides of thegate structure (e.g., GS1) in a similar manner to the gate insulatingfilm 130. The gate metal GM may include metal having high conductivity.An example of the metal may be W or Al, but the present invention is notlimited thereto.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a source region 161 a and a drain region 161 bmay be disposed in the active fins F1 and F2 on both sides of each ofthe gate structures (e.g., GS1). Although FIG. 3 illustrates that uppersurfaces of the source region 161 a and the drain region 161 b havesubstantially the same height as that of an upper surface of the firstactive fin F1, the present invention is not limited to the illustratedshape. In some embodiments of the present invention, the upper surfacesof the source region 161 a and the drain region 161 b may have a heightthat is different from the height of the upper surface of the firstactive fin F1.

In this embodiment, a third thickness T3 of the gate structure (e.g.,GS2) that is disposed on the first region 110 a of the field insulatingfilm 110 may be thicker than a fourth thickness T4 of the gate structure(e.g., GS2) that is disposed on the second region 110 b of the fieldinsulating film 110. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the thirdthickness T3 of the metal gate (e.g., MG2) that is disposed on the firstregion 110 a of the field insulating film 110 may be thicker than thefourth thickness T4 of the metal gate (e.g., MG2) that is disposed onthe second region 110 b of the field insulating film 110. In otherwords, the field insulating film 110 is disposed between the firstactive fin F1 and the second active fin F2 with a thickness that isrelatively thick, and thus the metal gate (e.g., MG2) may not bedisposed in the region between the first active fin F1 and the secondactive fin F2.

Through the shape of the metal gate (e.g., MG2) as described above,parasitic capacitance between the metal gates (e.g., MG2 and MG3) thatextend in parallel to each other may be decreased. Such decrease of theparasitic capacitance between the metal gates (e.g., MG2 and MG3) mayimprove the operating speed of the semiconductor element that includesthe metal gates (e.g., MG2 and MG3), and further improve the operatingcharacteristic of the semiconductor device 1.

Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, the above-described effects willbe described in more detail.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective views explaining the effects of asemiconductor device according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a semiconductor device in which, unlike thesemiconductor device 1 as described above, the field insulating film 210that is formed on the substrate 100 is formed to have a first height H1in the first region 210 a that is adjacent to the first and secondactive fins F1 and F2, and is formed in the second region 210 b that isspaced apart from the first and second active fins F1 and F2 to have asecond height H2 that is less than the first height H1.

In accordance with the shape of the field insulating film 210 asdescribed above, the gate structures CGS1 and CGS2 are formed on thefirst region 210 a with a fifth thickness T5, and are formed on thesecond region 210 b with a sixth thickness T6 that is thicker than thefifth thickness T5. In other words, the field insulating film 210 isformed in the region between the first active fin F1 and the secondactive fin F2 with a thickness that is relatively thin. In this case, asillustrated in FIG. 8, the value of the parasitic capacitance C2 betweenthe gate structures (see region Q) that are disposed in the regionbetween the first active fin F1 and the second active fin F2 may becomelarge. However, in the semiconductor device 1 according to thisembodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the metal gates MG2 and MG3 (orgate structures GS2 and GS3) are not disposed in a region P thatcorresponds to the region Q as described above, and thus the value ofthe parasitic capacitance C1 between the metal gates MG2 and MG3 (orgate structure GS2 and GS3) may be significantly decreased.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a semiconductor device according to asecond embodiment of the present invention. The explanation that followswill focus on differences between the second embodiment and theabove-described first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 9, the first and second active fins F1 and F2 of thesemiconductor device 2 are not formed in a body with the substrate 101as in the above-described embodiment, but instead are separately formed.Specifically, in the semiconductor device 2 according to thisembodiment, the first and second active fins F1 and F2 may be formed bypatterning a semiconductor active layer that is formed on the substrate101 via an epitaxial growth process. The first and second active fins F1and F2 formed as described above may improve mobility of carriers, anddecrease the amount of leakage current that may be generated duringoperation of the semiconductor device 2.

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a semiconductor device according to athird embodiment of the present invention. The explanation that followswill focus on differences between the third embodiment and theabove-described first and second embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 10, a SOI (Silicon On Insulator) substrate may be usedin the semiconductor device 3. Specifically, an active fin F1 may beformed by forming monocrystalline silicon on a buried oxide film 102 andpatterning the monocrystalline silicon. At this time, although notillustrated in detail, the buried oxide film 102 and the fieldinsulating film 101 may come in contact with each other. Using the SOIsubstrate, a delay time can be reduced during operation of thesemiconductor device 3.

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a semiconductor device according to afourth embodiment of the present invention. The explanation that followswill focus on differences between the fourth embodiment and theabove-described first through third embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 11, gate structures 181 and 182 of the semiconductordevice 4 may be formed using a gate first process rather than the gatelast process according to the above-described embodiments. Unlike theabove-described embodiments, the gate insulating film 181 may not beformed to extend in the first direction (e.g., the Z direction in FIG.2) along the side walls of the spacer 165. Further, in the same manneras the above-described embodiments, the gate electrode 182 may includegate metal (GM in FIG. 3), or may be made of polysilicon or the like.

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a semiconductor device according to afifth embodiment of the present invention. The explanation that followswill focus on differences between the fifth embodiment and theabove-described first through fourth embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 12, in the semiconductor device 5, the source region162 a and the drain region 162 b may have an elevated shape. Inparticular, the upper surfaces of the source region 162 a and the drainregion 162 b may be formed to be higher than the lower surface of thegate structure GS1.

Further, as illustrated, parts of the source region 162 a and the drainregion 162 b may be formed to overlap the spacer 165. That is, the partsof the source region 162 a and the drain region 162 b may be in a tuckshape that is pushed into the lower portion of the spacer 165.

FIG. 13 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor device according toa sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a partialperspective view illustrating a metal gate of the semiconductor deviceof FIG. 13. The explanation that follows will focus on differencesbetween the sixth embodiment and the above-described first through fifthembodiments.

First, referring to FIG. 13, the semiconductor device 6 may includefirst to fourth active fins F1 to F4. The first to fourth active fins F1to F4 may extend in the third direction (e.g., the X direction). Sincethe first to fourth active fins F1 to F4 are formed along the thirddirection (e.g., the X direction), they include a long side that extendsalong the third direction (e.g., the X direction), and a short side thatextends along the second direction (e.g., the Y direction).

The first active fin F1 and the third active fin F3 are separated fromeach other in the third direction (e.g., the X direction), and thesecond active fin F2 and the fourth active fin F4 are separated fromeach other in the third direction (e.g., the X direction).

A dummy gate structure DOS may be disposed on the end portions of thefirst to fourth active fins F1 to F4. That is, the dummy gate structureDGS may be disposed adjacent to the short sides of the first to fourthactive fins F1 to F4, and may be formed to extend in the seconddirection (e.g., the Y direction).

In this embodiment, the normal gate structures GS1 to GS4 may extend inthe second direction (e.g., the Y direction) and may surround at leastparts of the plurality of active fins F1 to F4 as in the above-describedembodiments. That is, in this embodiment, the dummy gate structure DOSmay be disposed on the field insulating film 110 between the first tofourth active fins F1 to F4.

As illustrated in FIG. 14, the shape of a dummy metal gate DMG that isincluded in the dummy gate structure DOS may be different from the shapeof normal metal gates MG2 to MG3 that are included in the normal gatestructures GS1 to GS4. In particular, the lower portion of the dummymetal gate DMG is not disposed on the active fins F1 to F4. In someembodiments of the present invention, the dummy metal gate DMG may beused as a redistribution line, but the present invention is not limitedthereto.

FIG. 15 is a view illustrating a semiconductor device according to aseventh embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 16 is a viewillustrating a semiconductor device according to an eighth embodiment ofthe present invention.

Referring to FIG. 15, the semiconductor device 7 according to theseventh embodiment of the present invention may include a logic region410 and an SRAM region 420. A first transistor 411 is disposed in thelogic region 410, and a second transistor 421 may be disposed in theSRAM region 420.

Next, referring to FIG. 16, the semiconductor device 8 according to theeighth embodiment of the present invention includes the logic region410. Third and fourth transistors 412 and 422, which are different fromeach other, are disposed in the logic region 410. Although notseparately illustrated, the semiconductor device 8 may also include anSRAM region in which the third and fourth transistors 412 and 422, whichare different from each other, may be disposed.

Here, the first transistor 411 may be any one of the semiconductordevices 1 to 6 according to the embodiments of the present invention asdescribed above, and the second transistor 421 may be another of thesemiconductor devices 1 to 6 according to the embodiments of the presentinvention as described above. For example, the first transistor 411 maybe the semiconductor device 1 of FIG. 3, and the second transistor 421may be the semiconductor device 5 of FIG. 12.

The third transistor 412 may be any one of the semiconductor devices 1to 6 according to the embodiments of the present invention as describedabove, and the fourth transistor 422 may be another of the semiconductordevices 1 to 6 according to the embodiments of the present invention asdescribed above.

FIG. 15 exemplarily illustrates the logic region 410 and the SRAM region42Q, but is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention canalso be applied to a region in which a memory that is different fromthat of the logic region 410 is formed (e.g., DRAM, MRAM, RRAM, orPRAM).

Next, referring to FIGS. 4 and 17 to 22, a method for fabricating asemiconductor device according to embodiments of the present inventionwill be described.

FIGS. 17 to 22 are views of intermediate steps explaining a method forfabricating a semiconductor device according to embodiments of thepresent invent.

First, referring to FIG. 17, a pad insulating film 142 and a hard maskfilm 144 are sequentially laminated on a substrate 100. In thisembodiment, the substrate 100 may be, for example, a semiconductorsubstrate, and the pad insulating film 142 may include, for example, anoxide film. The hard mask film 144 may include, for example, a siliconnitride film SiN, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Next, referring to FIG. 18, a hard mask film pattern 144 a is formedthrough patterning of the hard mask film 144 in FIG. 17. Then, a padinsulating film pattern 142 a and first and second active fins F1 and F2are formed through sequential etching of parts of the pad insulatingfilm 142 in FIG. 17 and the substrate 100 using the hard mask filmpattern 144 a as a mask.

In the drawing, it is illustrated that the cross-section of the firstand second active fins F1 and F2 is a rectangle, but the presentinvention is not limited to such a shape. In some embodiments of thepresent invention, the cross-section of the first and second active finsF1 and F2 may be changed to a tapered shape in which the width of thefirst and second active fins F1 and F2 becomes wider as they go from anupper portion to a lower portion. Further, in other embodiments of thepresent invention, the cross-section of the first and second active finsF1 and F2 may have a chamfered shape. That is, the corner portion of thefirst and second active fins F1 and F2 may be rounded. Othercross-sectional shapes may also be used in further embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 19, a field insulating film 110 may be formed on thesubstrate 100 and on the first and second active fins F1 and F2, the padinsulating film 142 a and the hard mask film pattern 144 a. The fieldinsulating film 110 may then be planarized so that an upper surface ofthe hard mask film pattern 144 a in FIG. 18 is exposed. Then, byremoving the hard mask film pattern 144 a, of which the upper surface isexposed, a first trench 146 a is formed in the field insulating film110. The width W1 of the first trench 146 a may be substantially thesame as the width of the first and second active fins F1 and F2.

Next, referring to FIG. 20, a second trench 146 b is formed by etchingthe field insulating film 110 that is disposed on a side wall and alower portion of the first trench 146 a in FIG. 19. Here, the fieldinsulating film may be etched by, for example, isotropic etching such aswet etching. In some embodiments, the etching may be, for example,isotropic wet etching using phosphoric acid, but the present inventionis not limited thereto.

After this etching step is completed, the width W2 of the second trench146 b may be wider than the width W1 of the first trench 146 a that isillustrated in FIG. 19. Further, as illustrated, the width W2 of thesecond trench 146 b may be larger than the width of the first and secondactive fins F1 and F2. In the first etching process as described above,a part of the upper portion of the pad insulating film pattern 142 a maybe removed.

Next, referring to FIG. 21, a second etching step is performed on thefield insulating film 110 that is disposed on a side wall and a lowerportion of the second trench 146 b in FIG. 20. The second etching stepmay include, for example, anisotropic etching such as dry etching.Specifically, the second etching may be, for example, reactive ionetching (RIE), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The second etching step may very quickly increase the depth of thesecond trench 146 b in FIG. 20, while the first etching step mayincrease the width of the second trench 146 b in FIG. 20 at a lowerspeed. Accordingly, as illustrated, the thickness of the fieldinsulating film 110 that is disposed adjacent to the first and secondactive fins F1 and F2 becomes relatively thin, while the thickness o thefield insulating film 110 that is spaced apart from the first and secondactive fins F1 and F2 remains relatively thick.

Next, referring to FIG. 22, a third etching step is performed to removethe field insulating film 110 that is formed on the side walls of thefirst and second active fins F1 and F2. The third etching step mayinclude, for example, isotropic etching. Specifically, the third etchingstep may be, for example, the isotropic etching, such as SiCoNi, but thepresent invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments of thepresent invention, the third etching step may be omitted if needed.

Through the etching process, the first region 110 a, which is disposedadjacent to the first and second active fins F1 and F2, may be formed tohave a first thickness T1, and the second region 110 b, which is spacedapart from the first and second active fins F1 and F2, is formed to havea second thickness T2 that is thicker than the first thickness T1.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, the gate structure (e.g., GS1) is formed onthe active fin (e.g., F2) and the field insulating film 110.Specifically, the interface film 120, the gate insulating film 130, andthe metal gate (e.g., MG1) are sequentially formed on the active fin(e.g., F2) and the field insulating film 110.

First, the interface film 120 is formed. The interface film 120 mayprovide an improved interface between the active fins F1 and F2 and thegate insulting film 130. The interface film 120 may include a low-kmaterial layer having permittivity of 9 or less, for example, a siliconoxide film (k is about 4) or a silicon oxynitride film (k is about 4 to8 depending on the content of oxygen atoms and nitrogen atoms). Further,the interface film 120 may be made of silicate, or may be made of acombination of the films as exemplified above. The interface film 120may be formed, for example, through a thermal oxidation process or adeposition process (CVD or PVD), but the present invention is notlimited thereto.

Next, the gate insulating film 130 is formed on the interface film 120.The gate insulating film 130 may be made of, for example, a high-kmaterial. In some embodiments of the present invention, the gateinsulating film 130 may be made of, for example, a material, such asHfO2, Al2O3, ZrO2, or TaO2, but the present invention is not limitedthereto.

Next, the metal gate (e.g., MG1) that includes the work function metalWM and gate metal GM is formed on the gate insulating film 130. The workfunction metal WM may serve to adjust the work function, and the gatemetal GM may serve to fill a space formed by the work function metal WM.The work function metal WM may have a single-film structure composed ofmetal, or a multi-film structure composed of a metal nitride film andmetal. The metal that forms the work function metal WM may be, forexample, Al, W, Ti, or a combination thereof, and the metal nitride filmmay be TiN, TaN, or a combination thereof, but the present invention isnot limited thereto. The gate metal GM may include metal having highconductivity. An example of the metal may be W or Al, but the presentinvention is not limited thereto.

The method for fabricating a semiconductor device 1 as illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 6 has been described above. However, a person of ordinaryskill in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able toanalogize the method for fabricating the semiconductor devices 2 to 6 asillustrated in FIGS. 9 to 14 from the above description.

For example, in the case of the semiconductor device 2 as illustrated inFIG. 9, the first and second active fins F1 and F2 as illustrated inFIG. 9 may be formed by forming the semiconductor active layer on thesubstrate 101 through an epitaxial growth process, sequentiallylaminating the pad insulating film 142 in FIG. 17 and the hard mask film144 in FIG. 17 on the formed semiconductor active layer, forming thehard mask film pattern 144 a in FIG. 18 through patterning of the hardmask film 144 in FIG. 17, and etching the semiconductor active layerusing the hard mask film pattern 144 a in FIG. 18 as a mask.

In addition, since the method for fabricating the semiconductor devices3 to 6 as illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 14 can also be easily analogized ina similar manner, the detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram of an electronic system including asemiconductor device according to some embodiments of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 23, an electronic system 1100 according to anembodiment of the present invention may include a controller 1110, aninput/output (I/O) device 1120, a memory 1130, an interface 1140, and abus 1150. The controller 1110, the I/O device 1120, the memory 1130,and/or the interface 1140 may be coupled to one another through the bus1150. The bus 1150 corresponds to paths through which data istransferred.

The controller 1110 may include at least one of a microprocessor, adigital signal processor, a microcontroller, and logic elements that canperform similar functions. The I/O device 1120 may include a keypad, akeyboard, and a display device. The memory 1130 may store data and/orcommands. The interface 1140 may function to transfer the data to acommunication network or receive the data from the communicationnetwork. The interface 1140 may be of a wired or wireless type. Forexample, the interface 1140 may include an antenna or a wire/wirelesstransceiver. Although not illustrated, the electronic system 1100 mayfurther include a high-speed DRAM and/or SRAM as an operating memory forimproving the operation of the controller 1110. A fin field-effecttransistor according to embodiments of the present invention may beprovided inside the memory 1130 or may be provided as a part of thecontroller 1110 and the I/O device 1120.

The electronic system 1100 may be applied to a PDA (Personal DigitalAssistant), a portable computer, a web tablet, a wireless phone, amobile phone, a digital music player, a memory card, or all electronicdevices that can transmit and/or receive information in wirelessenvironments.

FIGS. 24 and 25 are exemplary views of a semiconductor system to whichthe semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the presentinvention can be applied. FIG. 24 illustrates a tablet PC, and FIG. 25illustrates a notebook PC. At least one of the semiconductor devices 1to 8 according to the embodiments of the present invention may be usedin the tablet PC or the notebook PC. It is apparent to those of skilledin the art that the semiconductor device according to some embodimentsof the present invention can be applied to other integrated circuitdevices that have not been exemplified.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described forillustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatvarious modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in theaccompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor device comprising: a substratehaving a lower surface that extends in a first direction and in a seconddirection that is perpendicular to the first direction; first and secondactive fins that project upwardly from an upper surface of the substratein a third direction that is perpendicular to both the first and seconddirections, the first and second active fins extending in the firstdirection and being spaced apart from each other along the seconddirection; a field insulating film on the upper surface of the substratebetween the first and second active fins; and a first gate structure onan upper surface of the field insulating film, the first gate structureextending in the second direction to cross the first and second activefins, wherein the field insulating film includes a first recessed regionadjacent the first active fin, a second recessed region adjacent thesecond active fin, and a third region that is between the first andsecond recessed regions, the third region having a thickness in thethird direction that exceeds the average thicknesses in the thirddirection of the respective first and second recessed regions, andwherein a first length of the first recessed region in the seconddirection is less than a third length of the third region in the seconddirection and a second length of the second recessed region in thesecond direction is less than the third length of the third region inthe second direction, wherein a width of a lower portion of the firstactive fin in the second direction is greater than or equal to a widthof an upper portion of the first active fin in the second direction, awidth of a lower portion of the second active fin in the seconddirection is greater than or equal to a width of an upper portion of thesecond active fin in the second direction, and the first gate structuredirectly contacts sidewalls of the first and second active fins.
 2. Thesemiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the third length of the thirdregion in the second direction exceeds a length of the first active finin the second direction.
 3. The semiconductor device of claim 1, whereinthe third region has a substantially flat upper surface, and wherein thefirst gate structure includes a first metal gate.
 4. The semiconductordevice of claim 1, the semiconductor device further comprising a secondgate structure on the upper surface of the substrate, the second gatestructure extending in the second direction to cross the first andsecond active fins, the second gate structure being spaced apart fromthe first gate structure along the first direction, wherein the firstand second gate structures include respective first and second metalgates.
 5. The semiconductor device of claim 4, further comprising adummy metal gate that extends in the second direction to cross endportions of the first and second active fins, a portion of the dummymetal gate that is between the first and second active fins having adifferent shape than a portion of the first gate structure that isbetween the first and second active fins.
 6. The semiconductor device ofclaim 3, further comprising a spacer on opposed sides of the first gatestructure.
 7. The semiconductor device of claim 6, wherein the firstgate structure includes a gate insulating film that extends upwardlyalong respective inner sidewalls of the spacer between each innersidewall of the spacer and a metal gate of the first gate structure. 8.The semiconductor device of claim 3, wherein a first portion of thefirst gate structure that is above the first recessed region of the gateinsulating film has a first thickness in the third direction, a secondportion of the first gate structure that is above the second recessedregion of the gate insulating film has a second thickness in the thirddirection and a third portion of the first gate structure that is abovethe third region of the gate insulating film has a third thickness thatexceeds the first thickness and the second thickness.
 9. Thesemiconductor device of claim 6, further comprising a source region inthe first active fin on a first side of the first gate structure and adrain region in the first active fin on a second, opposite side of thefirst gate structure, wherein upper surfaces of the source region andthe drain region are on respective sidewalls of the spacer.
 10. Asemiconductor device comprising: first and second active fins thatproject from a substrate in a first direction; a field insulating filmon an upper surface of the substrate between the first and second activefins; a metal gate structure on the field insulating film that crossesover the first and second active fins, the metal gate structure on uppersurfaces and opposed sidewalls of the first and second active fins; anda spacer on at least one side of the metal gate structure, wherein thefield insulating film includes a first recessed region that is adjacentthe first active fin that has a first minimum thickness, and a secondregion that is spaced apart from the first active fin and from thesecond active fin that has a second thickness that exceeds the firstminimum thickness, and wherein the metal gate structure includes a gateinsulating film extending in the first direction along side walls of thespacer, wherein the metal gate structure extends in a second direction,and wherein a length of the second region of the field insulating filmin the second direction exceeds a length of the first active fin in thesecond direction and exceeds a length of the first recessed region ofthe field insulating film in the second direction, wherein the firstactive fin extends in a third direction that is perpendicular to thefirst and second directions, the semiconductor device further comprisinga dummy metal gate that is disposed at an end portion of the firstactive fin.
 11. The semiconductor device of claim 10, wherein the metalgate structure disposed above the first recessed region of the gateinsulating film has a maximum thickness that exceeds a thickness of themetal gate structure that is disposed above the second region of thegate insulating film.
 12. The semiconductor device of claim 10, whereina width of a lower portion of the first active fin in the seconddirection is greater than or equal to a width of an upper portion of thefirst active fin in the second direction, a width of a lower portion ofthe second active fin in the second direction is greater than or equalto a width of an upper portion of the second active fin in the seconddirection, and the field insulating film directly contacts sidewalls ofthe first and second active fins.
 13. The semiconductor device of claim10, wherein a shape of the metal gate structure and a shape of the dummymetal gate are different from each other.
 14. The semiconductor deviceof claim 10, wherein the metal gate structure comprises a first metalgate structure, the semiconductor device further comprising a secondmetal gate structure on the upper surface of the substrate, the secondmetal gate structure extending in the second direction to cross thefirst and second active fins, the second metal gate structure beingspaced apart from the first metal gate structure along a third directionthat is perpendicular to the second direction.
 15. The semiconductordevice of claim 10, further comprising a source region and a drainregion formed at the first active fin on opposite sides of the metalgate structure, upper surfaces of the source region and the drain regionare higher above a lower surface of the substrate than is a lowersurface of the metal gate structure.
 16. A semiconductor devicecomprising: a substrate having a lower surface that extends in a firstdirection and in a second direction that is perpendicular to the firstdirection; first and second active fins that project in a thirddirection from the substrate and that extend along the substrate in thefirst direction, the third direction being perpendicular to the firstand second directions; a field insulating film between the first andsecond active fins; a first gate structure on the field insulating filmand the first and second active fins, the first gate structure extendingin the second direction; a source region and a drain region formed atthe first active fin on opposite sides of the first gate structure, asecond gate structure on the field insulating film and the first andsecond active fins, the second gate structure extending in the seconddirection and spaced apart from the first gate structure in the firstdirection; wherein a first thickness in the third direction of a firstportion of the first gate structure that is adjacent the first andsecond active fins is larger than a second thickness in the thirddirection of a second portion of the first gate structure that isdisposed in a central region between the first and second active fins,and wherein a portion of the second gate structure that is between thefirst and second active fins has a different shape than a portion of thefirst gate structure that is between the first and second active fins.17. The semiconductor device of claim 16, further comprising a spacerthat is disposed on opposed sides of the gate structure, and parts ofthe source region and the drain region extend onto respective lowersidewalls of the spacer.
 18. The semiconductor device of claim 16,wherein the first portion of the gate structure is positioned above afirst recessed region of the field insulating film and the secondportion of the gate structure is positioned above a second non-recessedregion of the field insulating film, and wherein a length of the firstportion of the structure in the second direction exceeds a length of thefirst active fin in the second direction and exceeds a length of thefirst recessed region of the field insulating film in the seconddirection.
 19. The semiconductor device of claim 16, wherein the secondgate structure comprises a dummy metal gate, and the portion of thesecond gate structure that is between the first and second active finshas a substantially constant thickness.
 20. The semiconductor device ofclaim 16, wherein a width of a lower portion of the first active fin inthe second direction is greater than or equal to a width of an upperportion of the first active fin in the second direction, a width of alower portion of the second active fin in the second direction isgreater than or equal to a width of an upper portion of the secondactive fin in the second direction, and the gate structure directlycontacts sidewalls of the first and second active fins.